Straight outta Oak-town, here’s some photos from an old school Toyota meet at Performance Options in Oakland, California. The crew hopes to make this a semi-regular gathering, welcoming all old school J-tin.

Thanks to Miles Aquino and Justin Bonoan for sending us these awesome photos!

Click through for more images. (more…)

Ok, this car isn’t nostalgic (or even a car, really), but the idea is timeless. After graduating high school, three Japanese buddies decided to follow their dream of a year-long cross-country road trip, from the northeastern island of Hokkaido to the southwestern one of Yakushima. But before they set out, the trio built one of the coolest road trip cars ever conceived, from a decrepit mid-80s Toyota Toyoace. (more…)

And now for your viewing pleasure, some footage of some vintage Toyota Celicas tearing it up at Fuji Speedway. Love that mean green liftback! Beware, by the end you’ll be seeing double.

[Chase the Horizon]

There’s more than a few Toyotaku who come to JNC because, let’s face it, most of the exciting machines in the automaker’s portfolio are in its past - RWD Celicas, Supras, Sports 800s, MR2s, twin-cam Corollas and the glorious 2000GT. But ever since the Celica and MR2 Spyder were given the axe in 2005, the wealthiest car company in the world has been missing some excitement in its lineup. Some say that the drought began a full decade ago, with the discontinuation of the 1998 JZA80 Supra. Regardless of the exact date, nowadays the Big T is known more for sensible but bland people movers than pulse-quickening sports cars.

However, according to the New York Times, this could all change if Akio Toyoda, grandson of founder Kiichiro Toyoda, becomes president of the company. (more…)

Old School Japanese Drag Cars

Break out the earplugs before watching this footage of vintage Japanese iron doing the Zero-Yon (0-400m, approximately a quarter-mile), circa 1986. Unlike the nostalgia drag racers of the US, these cars sport canister mufflers and big fat turbos instead of superchargers and open headers. This setup probably favors trap speed over low E/Ts, but the ear-splitting echoes in the mountains of Fuji Speedway sound incredible all the same. The majority of cars in this video are radically modified Datsun Fairlady Zs, but some Toyotas and Mazdas appear at the 3:00 mark. Thanks to Daron for the tip!

Last month, Toyota launched the iQ city car, to much fanfare amongst the green-machine crowd. Within days, speculation began on a sporty two-seater roadster based on the same small platform. Naturally, the first thing we noticed was its resemblance to the 1965 Toyota Sports 800, itself based on a lesser commuter car, the Publica. If built, the yet-unnamed iQ-based convertible could be powered by a 1.0 or 1.3-liter gasoline or diesel engine. Sadly, unlike its predecessors, both this roadster and the iQ are front wheel drive. Expect to see a prototype at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

[Auto Motor und Sport via TheMotorReport]

Our coverage of the SEMA show. Due to the economic disaster, the mood was a bit down and every company is struggling. However, there were some bright spots, including the first JNC car at SEMA! Also, read the article to find out why we are eating our words about Toyota.